Discussions are underway to merge three Welsh universities, WalesOnline understands.

Talks between the University of Wales Trinity St David and Swansea Metropolitan University are believed to have included the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (Uwic).

A senior source told WalesOnline that if plans were approved, the merged institutions would be managed by a single vice-chancellor.

The universities are all members of the University of Wales Alliance and further details are expected to be announced at a meeting of the group’s council tomorrow.

The move could open the door for other alliance institutions, namely Newport and Glyndwr, to engage in similar discussions.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has made no secret of his desire to reduce the number of vice-chancellors in Wales by 2013.

And after repeated calls for collaboration, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (Hefcw) announced plans to halve the number of institutions in Wales by March 2013 – with no more than two universities per region.

Higher Education Wales, which represents the nation’s universities, said in December that the Assembly Government’s collaboration plans were “well understood”.

Today’s news marks a significant development in the reconfiguration agenda, which has gathered significant pace under Rhondda AM Mr Andrews.

Most notable is Uwic’s inclusion in the discussions. The institution has attracted criticism from union members for its failure to engage in collaboration policy.

A merger between the University of Glamorgan and Uwic had looked likely in 2003, but the deal fell through in later stages.

Two years later, Uwic governors began discussing the possibility of merging with Newport University, but nothing came to fruition.

Katie Dalton, president of NUS Wales, said: “As the sector in Wales reacts to the reconfiguration agenda, our primary concern is that students in Wales are able to access higher education provision locally and that institutions with a serious focus on widening access continue to exist in every region, alongside the more established and traditional universities.

“Fundamentally, institutions must approach mergers for the right reasons and ensure that the student experience is protected at all times. We have some concerns about the ability of an institution to exist across the whole of Wales and fear that the consistency of academic provision, student support and student representation could be compromised by this type model.

“The proposed addition of Uwic to the previously agreed South-West Wales partnership may present problems in this respect, especially if Newport and Glyndwr were to follow in the future.”

What do you think about the potential merger? Do you work any of these universities? Let us know your views in the comments below